Prepare to be blown away by one of the most beautiful shows you’ll see at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Temper Theatre’s Home directed by Finn Morell brings the climate crisis closer to home in this extraordinary display of physical theatre, playing at Pleasance Courtyard.
There’s an incredible amount of storytelling packed into this mesmerising hour. A city worker named Imogen is clearly experiencing some mental health problems, the reasons for which become clear as we are whisked back to her childhood days, the loss of her home, and the relationship she had with her parents.
There are not many words spoken at all, but this devastatingly beautiful story is told through the most intricately choreographed (Chris Evans) blend of dance and physical theatre. The remarkable cast, comprising Jack Bentinck, Kimihiko Katamura, Malin Kvist, Yuwei Jing and Zoe Villiers, work hard creating this ultimately very moving tale, that has everything from the plight of refugees to traditional folklore all woven in seamlessly to its core narrative.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the landscape created in Home is some remote Caribbean island, already endangered by rising sea levels. But the inspiration for this show has actually come from the low-lying fens of East Anglia, which are at just as much risk of becoming submerged as any tropical island.
The staging is sublime. The most gorgeous lighting (Alex Bevan) combines with creeping fog and an atmospheric original score (Dave Price) to paint a moving work of art. Large set pieces designed by Piran Jeffcock, Erin Tse and Felix Villiers are manoeuvred in and out by the cast as if they were extensions of their own bodies. In an early scene, Imogen, goes to the bathroom to wash her face, and even this simple act is accompanied by a piece of staging that accurately recreates Imogen’s mood.
There are countless plays and musicals about the climate crisis playing at Fringe this year, but it is Temper Theatre’s Home that actually brings it closer to home, gives its audience an entirely new perspective and leaves us speechless through incredible performance. Whatever you do, do not leave Edinburgh Fringe without first catching this physical theatre masterpiece.
